Curler



Nov. 30, 1954 c. w. RENSTROM 2,695,620

CURLER Filed March 13, 1953 mama INVENTOR C'arl fi f'fiensimm BY #M ATTORNEYS CURLER- GarlW. Renstrom; Omaha, Nebn, assignor to'Tip-Top;

Products' fiomp'any, Omaha,-Nebr., a corporation of. Nebraska Application March .13, .1953, Serial Nor 342,048

3. Claims. (Cl. .132142);

The present invention relates to the art of hair curling and in .p articular; to. an improvedtone piece, nonrigid hair. curling device of the type. more. commonly used to curl hair withoutthe use of .heat'or chemicals.

This. new andimp toved. plastic hair curler is of a simplified. construction amenable to injection; molding.

.processes,- wherein a one-piece. curler may be. formed from) such non-rigid. plastics as Vinylite or other suitable. materials, in'. one injection .moldingoperation In .the..p as t,. devices of this sort, and inparticular hair. curlersob the. larger variety, similar to the present invention, have. been unsatisfactory in many respects. Fromacomfort consideration, large curlers now onlthe market arerunsatisfactory because of their relativelynonyielding, construction, and resulting discomfortto the wearer. Mechanically, present devices. are. unsuitable because. of their shortlife, due to structural failures and unsatisfactory means for rolling; dryingiand retaininghairin position on the curler.

This invention is an improvement over presently known devices; andv overcomes. objections to these devices by providing a; large resiliently. pliable hair curler of. the bifurcated mandrel variety. This. curler is of a hollow construction. which will readily conform to the shape. of the. wearers head and will yield to? pressure exerted against. it while the wearer is sleeping.

The hollow construction also provides an improved and novel means for joining the. bifurcated portions. of themandrel together so as to improve ventilation throughoutthe. curler and to. provide'a hinging' action of the bifurcated1 portions in a manner which avoids stresses resulting instructural failure. In this type of hair curler, it is necessary to spread the bifurcated or leg portions of the mandrel :apart-toinsert or wedge hairtherebetween prior to Winding. This spreading and wedging apart of the legs eventually splits the'mandi'el'in two thereby destroyingrjthe utility of the curler. In the present in= vention, novelstress relievingmeans are provided at the base; ofthe. legs so as. to allow the legs to be spread apart without straining the. mandrel to the rupturepoint.

When; the hair. is wound on curlers: of this type,.a l

strap secured; to one v end of the curlertis madezto overlay the hair and secure the opposite end portions of the mandrel. The present invention provides an improved overlaying strap of hammock shaped configuration which better holds the hair in place. This strap straddles both legs of the mandrel. rather than overlay but one leg as in older devices, whereby the legs are prevented from bulging outwardly, resulting in a more compact curler and a tighter curl.

The hollow legs of the mandrel, unlike older devices, are open at their base, so that irrespective of the amount of hair wound about the mandrel, air always has access to the interior of the curler to speed the drying of the curled hair.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a large type curler made of pliable material which will yieldably conform to the shape of the wearers head and provide maximum comfort during use.

Another object of this invention is to provide a hair curler of the bifurcated mandrel variety, being of hollow, collapsible construction and adapted to partially yield to the pressure of the hair being wrapped thereupon whereby a tighter curl may be formed.

It is another object of this invention to provide a large type hair curler having improved means for ventilating and drying the hair Wound thereupon.

"ice

Still another objectof. this. invention is to provide a hair curler havinggventilatingmeans.v which will not.bet obstructed. by hair. wound. thereupon.

ItisflstilLanother. objectofthis invention to provide.

a onepiece. haircurlerof. the bifurcated mandrel variety having, improvedhinging means. for the bifurcated portions.

A further; object of, this invention: is: to provide a. one.

piece. hair curler. of.the.bifurcated mandrel variety having improved means for locking together the bifurcated portions.

A. still furtherobjectof thislinventionisto providea.

large. type. curler; of. the. bifurcated. mandrel, variety; having an, improved locking strap which overlays the bifurcated. portionstofl themandrel and. holds the convolute hair. portions :in placexin-aniimproved.manner;

It .is a. still further. object. of thisuinventionto i provide an. improved large. typ hair curler of. the. bifurcated. mandrel. variety having meansfor. locking the hair: on the mandrel. from. either. side. thereby facilitating the user-of. the. curler in the. darkor without .the aid of mirrors.

Further objects and advantages of the: invention will be apparent during the coursev ofthefollowing description,

In the accompanying drawings; forming a part'ofthis. application and in Whichlikenumerals are designateddo like parts of the same,

Figure. l is. a perspectiveview'of the. invention.

Figure. lisatop plan view ofthe invention. showing. howthe strap overlaystthebifurcated mandrel and locks. the bifurcated. portions together.

Figure-v 31 is. a frontelevation. view of: theinventionshowinghow the end; portion of the strap secures. the bifurcated end: portion. of. the mandrel.

Figure 4.is. a section. view of-the invention takenalongthe. l ine:-44-of Figure. l.

Figure. 5 is a sectionaview of the invention taken. along the line.5-5, of'Figure l.

Thehair curler. 10 (Figures 1' and' 2.) comprises a cylindrically shaped. pliablemandrel 1.1, bifurcated subT- stantiallya its. entire .length to formapair of semi-cylindrical hollow. legs 12. and. 13' extending normally: ad.- jacent and parallel; from the unitary. body portion 14.. of the, mandrel 1 1... Afiexible; strap 15 extends normally fronmthe. unitary body portion 14 in a direction opposite from said-pair of legs 12 and 13, and. a. pair. of. solid post halves 16 and..17 extend fromrthefree ends. of the legsto provide-meansfor. fastening; the freeend of the normally oppositely. extendingstrap 15:

The legs. Hand 13; (Figures; 1, 42 and .5) are of hollow constructionr.closed at their free-ends by the: bases of post, halvesrI6. and 17' and having.- openings 18. and. 19 (Figure. 5) in. the basesofl legs- 12 and 13 respectively; These legs. 12 andr13 are-formednby fiat inner. wall-s20 and. 21 respectively adjacent toand facedinwardly. toward. eacht other, and. outer. walls 22% and 23} respec: tiyely" of semi-cyclindrical' configuration and: integrally joined to the periphery of their respective inner walls. The flat inner walls 20 and 21 of the legs 12 and 13 are spaced apart slightly at 24 (Figures 1 and 5) but merge together at the unitary portion of the body 14 to form a diametrically arranged transverse web or reenforcing spoke-like member 25 (Figures 4 and 5) which also functions as a hinge pin in allowing the legs to spread apart when hair is placed therebetween. A reenforcing ring 26 encircles the outermost portion of this end of the body 14 and is integrally secured to the spoke-like member 25. By providing openings 18 and 19 (Figure 5) in the base of the body portion 14, in the spreading apart of legs. 12 and 13, as when hair is wedged therebetween, ring 26 collapses against spoke-like member 25, thereby relieving stresses which would otherwise be set up in corners 31 and 32. This stress relief minimizes the possibility of structural failure at these corners and accordingly immeasurably increases the life and utility of the invention. On the other hand, if body portion 14 were solid, ring 2.6 could not yield to pressure exerted by the spreading of legs 12 and 13 and eventually after limited use of the hair curler 10 the legs would split off or tear along the aforementioned corners.

A series ofventila'ting openings 33 and 34 (Figure 1) are formed adjacent the common longitudinal edges 35 in both the inner and outer walls to provide communication between the exterior and interior of the hollow legs for the purpose of assisting to dry wet or damp hair wound thereupon. The provision of openings 18 and 19 in the body end 14 of the mandrel 11, in addition to increasing the life and utility of the invention as above described, also serves the important function of greatly facilitating drying and setting of the hair by permitting circulation of air through openings 18 and 19 into hollow legs 12 and 13 and thence out through holes 33 and 34. If openings 18 and 19 were not so provided air circulation through holes 33 and 34 would be seriously impeded due to obstruction of these holes by hair wound around legs 12 and 13.

Interior of the legs 12 and 13 run reenforcing ridges 27 and 28 (Figure 5) longitudinally along the center of the undersurfaces of outer walls 22 and 23 respectively. The aforementioned flexible strap 15 (Figures 1 and 2) is an outward-extension of the reenforcing ring 26 and the reenforcing ridges 27 and 28, and comprises two arms 29 and 30 of length sufficient to be hinged backward to overlay the legs 12 and 13 of the mandrel 11 and to secure together the pair of post halves 16 and 17 extending from the free ends of the legs.

Strap 15 (Figure l) is comprised of arms 29 and 30 which extend outwardly from reenforcing ring 26 and are secured at their extremities to a closed ring 36. Projecting outwardly from ring 36 opposite the extremities of arms 29 and 30 is a serrated finger grip 37. Arms 29 and 30 are reenforced by cross lacing 38 which is of X-like configuration and serves to hold the arms outwardly bowed from each other, resulting in giving strap 15 a hammock like configuration. This configuration permits strap 15, when hinged forward over mandrel 11 (Figure 2), to longitudinally straddle legs 12 and 13, arm 29 laying on surface 22 of leg 12 and arm 30 laying on surface 23 of leg 13. This overlaying relationship between mandrel 11 and strap 15 adds rigidity to the entire structure and better holds the convolute hair portions in place while drying, thereby forming a higher quality curl. In order to maintain strap 15 in this overlaying position, finger grip 37 is grasped between the finger and thumb, and pulled toward post halves 16 and 17 whereupon ring 36 is engaged by the tapered portions of these posts. By sliding the ring downwardly over these post halves they are drawn together and the ring is received and secured in the post annular recess por tions 39 and 40. It is contemplated that ring 36 be formed of the same elastic substance as the rest of the curler and accordingly the inner ring diameter is made smaller than the diameter of the combined two post halves at their widest portion adjacent the annular recess.

Thus the ring must be stretched in order to pass over the post halves, but will contract to its original diameter when received in the annular recess, thereby forming a I locking engagement between the ring and the widest portion of the post halves. To assist in centering the ring over the post halves, the post contacting, interior ring edge may be chamfered as shown at 36' in Figures l and 4. A double chamfer 36, as shown in Figure 4, enables the user to overlay strap 15 on either side of mandrel 11. This feature is particularly advantageous when the hair curling operation is performed in the dark, since, obviously, the 'user of this invention does not have the problem of deciding, without actually seeing on which side of the mandrel to place the strap.

When a tight curl is desired, the hair may be wound on the mandrel with suflicient pressure to cause the is placed between said leg portions.

mandrel to collapse. Because of the resilient quality of the material, however, the mandrel will tend to recover its normal shape whereby a tightening of the hair curl is achieved.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention, herewith shown and described, is to be taken as a preferred assembly of the same, in that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of the parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

v I claim:

1. An integrally molded unitary hair curler comprising a mandrel bifurcated to form a pair of leg portions,

means for holding hair in place in said mandrel, said leg portions having spaced opposed flat inner walls and curved outer walls so as to form a hollow tubular construction which is closed at one end and open at the opposite end, said leg portions having ventilating holes in their inner and outer walls communicating with the open ends so that air may freely enter the mandrel and circulate through said holes and through said open ends, and said leg portions being integrally joined together by a transverse web intermediate said legs and adjacent said open end portion, whereby said leg portions may pivot outwardly about said web when hair 2. An integrally molded unitary hair curler as called for in claim 1 in which the inner surface of each of the outer walls is provided with longitudinally extending reinforcing ridges.

3. A flexible hair curler comprising a mandrel bifurcated to form a pair of displaceable leg portions, means for holding hair in place between said leg portions, said leg portions having spaced opposed inner walls and curved outer walls so as to form a hollow yieldable tubular construction closed at one end and open at the opposite end, and said leg portions being connected by a transverse web intermediate said leg portions and adjacent said open end portion, said web merging into the inner walls of said leg portions so that the leg portions may pivot outwardly about said web when hair is placed between the leg portions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Solomon Mar. 10, 1953 

